Deborah Weihl

State:

Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and have also taught in Maryland

PLS courses I teach:

• Building Communication and Teamwork in the Classroom
• Classroom Management: Orchestrating a Community of Learners™
• Today’s Classroom and Classroom Management: Orchestrating a Community of Learners
• Purposeful Learning Through the Multiple Intelligences
• Purposeful Learning Through Multiple Intelligences®
• Teaching the Skills of the 21st Century®

Years with PLS:

Since July 28, 1995 (634 participants!)

Why I love teaching PLS courses:

After taking off 9 years from teaching to be a stay-at-home Mom, I returned to the classroom only to discover that children had changed tremendously. I had taken both TEACH and PRIDE to become recertified in the State of Maryland. This was truly a "Godsend." The skills and strategies that I learned in those classes made it possible to have a positive and fruitful transition. I craved for more courses and found them to be the best resources I had ever found! Now I am excited to share these wonderful strategies with others. One of the greatest resources in all classes is the abundance of knowledge shared by the participants. We all learn from each other.

Education:

• BS in Music Education Piano and Voice Major; French Horn Minor — Towson University in 1974.
• MS in Curriculum and Instruction — Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) in 1992.

Teaching experience:

• Grades K-8
• Elementary General Music — 9 years and currently
• Elementary Instrumental Music — 11 years
• Middle School Instrumental Music — 5 years
• Middle School Choral and General Music — 10 years
• I have taught a total of 25 years in the public schools. The above listings would total more than 30 years. Obviously, I had multiple assignments at one time.

Related experience, recognition, awards, etc.:

• ASCD and Kappan Delta Phi workshops in Curriculum Integration
• Disney Teacher Ed courses for graduate credit through Florida State University
• While a District Leader in Queens Way Fashions, I was honored as one of the top 10 District Leaders two years in a row during the 1980s while staying at home with my children.
• I gave Recruitment Seminars at National Conventions.
• I have been a Team Leader, SIT coordinator, and workshop leader at schools in which I have taught.
• I have been the Music Ministry Coordinator at my church for many years.

What I love most about teaching:

I am an Intuitive Feeler. It is my desire to share knowledge with children and adults alike. I am truly fulfilled when seeing the excitement of a "Big Aha" and "Wow" on the faces of my students and participants. I present my curriculum through the skills of life. My role as a teacher is to assist in developing my students into capable, successful, happy members of society.

My favorite moment in teaching:

As I dismissed a first grade class several years ago, I had a student who asked to eat lunch with me the next day. I was happy to be asked. I told the student that I would love to have lunch with them, but that it would have to be on a different day. I told them that I taught at another school on Tuesdays. This precious little face looked up at me and said, "You can teach too?" How wonderful that this student perceived my instruction as fun and enjoyment. This is my goal on every given day for every given student and participant.

Personal information:

Family is very important to me. My daughter who lives in Manhattan dances with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. My son lives in Princeton, NJ and works in corporate for Lord & Taylor on 5th Ave in NYC. A day spent with them is such a treat! We all love to travel and sometimes meet at vacation locations to spend time together. My husband is a retired HS & College History teacher & Athletic Director. We enjoy exploring “music as related to history” and college sports. He has actually been my student in PLS classes and assists me in traveling to sites as well as setting up, etc. I enjoy photography and have just had a photo printed in a coffee table book. Adding our church related responsibilities makes for a very busy life.